KU Looks to End Skid at #25 Oklahoma
Oct. 6, 2006
LAWRENCE, Kan. –
Kansas volleyball wraps up a short road stint and looks to stop a four-match skid Saturday night at No. 25 Oklahoma. The Jayhawks (8-8, 1-6 Big 12) will look for their first Big 12 Conference road victory of the season while the Sooners (13-3, 5-1) try to keep their four-match win streak alive. First serve at McCasland Field House in Norman, Okla., is set for 7 p.m. Live Stats, a recap and box score for the match can be found here.
About the Jayhawks
The Jayhawks (8-8, 1-6) are looking to stop a Big 12 skid that included road losses at No. 17 Missouri, Colorado and Texas Tech and a home defeat at the hands of Iowa State. KU is averaging 15.91 kills and 14.02 assists per game, which ranks fourth and fifth in the Big 12, respectively. Senior outside hitter Jana Correa paces a balanced KU offense with 4.16 kills per game — good for eighth in the league — and has recorded 14 or more kills in 13 matches. Correa is just 14 kills away from becoming the ninth Jayhawk in school history to record 1,000 for her career and currently ranks ninth on the all-time list (986). Junior right side hitter Emily Brown (3.50 kpg), a threat in all six rotations, and sophomore middle blocker Savannah Noyes (3.24 kpg) round out the top KU hitters. Redshirt freshman setter Katie Martincich averages 11.28 assists per game and ranks ninth in the league. KU’s defense features senior libero Jamie Mathewson (3.62 dpg) and four Jayhawks who average 2.25 or more digs per game.
Scouting the Sooners
After cracking into the top 25 on Monday, No. 25 Oklahoma (13-3, 5-1) looks to extend its four-match winning streak as it hosts Kansas Saturday night. The Sooners have opened Big 12 play on fire and are off to their best start in conference play since 1993 (formerly the Big Eight Conference). Oklahoma’s lone loss in Big 12 action was against No. 1 Nebraska on Sept. 16. Senior outside hitter Joanna Schmitt averages a squad-best 4.31 kills per game for an offense that ranks second in the league in hitting percentage (.253) and third in kills per game (16.09). Senior middle blockers Laura Tomes (3.35 kpg/1.24 bpg) and Eliane Santos (3.24 kpg/1.46) and freshman outside hitter Bridget Laplante (2.82 kpg) pace the OU hitters while senior libero Anna Monsen leads the team and ranks fourth in the league with 4.55 digs per game. Senior setter Rachel Jackson ranks second in the Big 12 with 13.54 assists per game.
Kansas vs. Oklahoma
The Sooners lead the all-time series against KU, 38-25. The Jayhawks have won the last nine meetings between the schools, including the last four matches in Norman. KU head coach Ray Bechard is 15-1 against OU while Sooner coach Santiago Restrepo is 0-4 against the Jayhawks.
Crimson and Blue Bits
-Senior Jana Correa has tallied 14 or more kills in 13 of KU’s 16 matches this season. In fact, she has had exactly 14 kills in five matches and 10 or more digs on eight occasions. Correa notched a season-best 24 kills and career-high 20 digs against Texas A&M on Sept. 20.
~Junior Emily Brown has notched 20 or more kills on five occasions and has six double-doubles (kills/digs) this season. Brown recorded a rare triple-double against UMKC on Aug. 29 — 12 kills, 10 assists and 10 digs.
~Freshman Isadora Rangel (Sao Paulo, Brazil) carried on the tradition of the KU-Brazil volleyball pipeline when she became a member of the Jayhawk squad this Fall. Rangel and Correa (Macapa, Brazil) both hail from the Sao Paulo club team Pinheiros.
Super Senior
Senior outside hitter Jana Correa has been providing an offensive spark for the Jayhawks in her final season at KU. Known for her thunderous, hard hits and solid serving, Correa has emerged as a leader in her senior year despite having her freshman and junior seasons cut in half by injuries. Correa sat out 16 of KU’s 33 matches in 2003 and 14 of 30 in 2005 due to season-ending injuries, but is back at 100 percent this year. The Macapa, Brazil, native leads KU with 4.16 kills per game (eighth in the Big 12) and ranks seventh in the league with 0.36 aces per game. Correa is on track to leave Kansas among the all-time program leaders in kills, kills per game, attempts, aces and aces per game. She is also just 14 kills away from becoming the ninth Jayhawk in school history with 1,000 career kills.
Up Next
The Jayhawks return home to the friendly confines of the Horejsi Family Athletics Center Wednesday to host Sunflower State rival Kansas State at 7 p.m. The Wildcats, currently 11th in the league standings, will look for their first Big 12 victory against Colorado this weekend.
Match Notes in PDF Format
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